The Emergenza Festival semifinals in Calgary kicked of on Thursday, April 27th with POP DEBRIS opening the show. They started the night with more unto the breach, and by golly, dear friends, they put on one hell of a show. Amidst a fury of excitement for the Calgary Flames playoff run, their catchy tunes, kick-ass chick bassist, and solid drums hit pop music over the head with a sledgehammer. Following up two amazing sold-out support slots for the band Trooper, Black Diamond''s own REZINATOR came through and made everyone at the warehouse "turn around" with the down-homey small-town rock-n-roll sound. The hyper-aggressive drumming and shredicus maximus guitar work of KATABASIS brought the house down. The top off a killer light show, and powerful set, the frontman finished the night by scaling a support beam, and growled from the rafters. Next up THE HEAVY FEATHER BAND slowed it down just a touch, with some upbeat rockin'' playfulness. While the crowd sang in unison, "damn you Molly Sue…" they blended acoustic guitars, smooth bass, and drums into a beautiful harmonious unity. Keep an eye out for this great young band busking on the streets of Calgary with their foot-stompin'' clap-a-long songs. TARBENDER, all the way from Golden, B.C., reminded us all about the age old adage of the cock in the henhouse… and by henhouse, they meant warehouse. They brought some good ''ol fashioned rock-n-roll goodness to the stage. What do you do when you break a string mid song? You say forget it… I''monsta sing backup instead, and keep on truckin''… and that''s just what they did. LUCIDREAM had a super-unique sound. With acoustic AND electric guitars slung over shoulder simultaneously, their groovy, funky, sultry sounds helped carry them on to the final round of the festival. On Friday, DATURA wasted no time and showed Calgary what the former B-6 Vallerys had up their new sleeves. Formerly a straightforward metal band… the new format laid out a unique brand of psych-hop adventure rock for the Warehouse crowd. A half dozen gutar/bass swaps later, the simple and effective backbeat set the tone for some amazing riffing from this impressively young band. With a drummer stuck in Albertian traffic, VOA did what they came to do… ROCK! Fearing not about the whereabouts of their heavy-handed drumming brethren, the embarked on an amazing journey of riffs and solos… first bass, then guitar, then back again. The stage was set for the full package, and man did they have it. When those sticks hit the drums, the crowd lost it. It was like the full blown climax after a drummerless heavy petting session. AUTO BODY came out looking for some new fans… and they did just that. Super-polished, great presence, and solid tunes… with a little KISS tribute thrown in for good measure. Keep an eye on these guys as they embark on a North American tour this summer. HALO, very simply put, had the hard rock/heavy metal thing down. A great vocal performance, stunning lights, and a rabid fanbase, all led to their advancement to the June 8th final showdown… and an awesome end to an awesome night of awesome local music. FRICTION LOSS got Saturday night off to a hell of a start with an intense and powerful presence, stunning vocals, and a super tight rhythm section. Throw in a great crowd, some of the best lights in the eastern hemisphere, and you got yourself a rock show. With songs about Barney Fife, and pork… you can''t go wrong with DARK CURRENT. They had catchy, danceable songs that definitely got the crowd up off their butts. SLITHER IN EXILE brought a neverending onslaught of guitars, bass, and drums. Just when you thought things were gonna slow down… out came another verse, and another amazing solo. Hard-hitting drums peppered the set full of unexpected arrangements, and great vocal work. The crowd fell to their knees, and begged ''em for more. The sexy 70s funk powerhouse of FIVE STAR AFFAIR had the crowd saying "por favor, give me mor